Could cheap heart drugs save lives from pesticide poisoning?
NCT ID NCT03925025
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested whether adding magnesium sulfate or nimodipine (drugs usually used for heart conditions) to standard treatment could help people who poisoned themselves with pesticides. Over 1,700 adults in medical wards were enrolled. The main goal was to see if these drugs reduced deaths before leaving the hospital.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Magnesium sulfate and nimodipine
- What this could lead to
- If effective, these cheap, widely available drugs could become a standard addition to current treatment, potentially saving many lives from pesticide poisoning.
- What could go wrong
- This is a completed Phase 3 trial, but results are not yet reported. The drugs may not improve survival over standard care, and side effects like low blood pressure are possible.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Phase 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
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1,728 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jun 2020
- Finished
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Apr 2025
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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16 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients aged 16 years or older with suspected OP or carbamate insecticide self-poisoning admitted to medical wards with the cholinergic toxidrome requiring atropine. * Diagnosis will be made on the basis of the cholinergic toxidrome clinical features (eg. small/pinpoint pupils, bronchorrhoea, sweating) or on the history of atropine administration with beneficial effect. The insecticide involved will be identified where possible from the history, the bottle brought in by the patient or relative, the patient/relative identifying the pesticide on a chart showing all locally available pesticides, and/or relatives sending a photo of the bottle by eg. WhatsApp. * Patients who ingest combination products containing OP or carbamate insecticides will also be included. * Inhibited blood cholinesterase activity as shown by routine clinical bedside test Exclusion Criteria: * Children aged \<16 years. * Patients who do not require atropine and have not had it prior to presentation during this episode. * Normal blood cholinesterase activity * Self-reported known pregnancy (as per South Asian practice, no attempt will be made to formally test for pregnancy in the patients due to the issue of confidentiality in the acute care situation in these hospitals and the social consequences of an unexpected positive response) * Known occupational and homicidal poisoning * Past medical history of severely impaired renal function * Hypersensitivity to magnesium and its salts * Patients who have had a myocardial infarction or unstable angina in the last month * Patients with traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage * Lack of informed consent (unaccompanied unconscious patients and others)
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Chattogram Medical College Hospital
Chittagong, 4203, Bangladesh
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Jashore Medical College Hospital
Jessore, Bangladesh
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Khulna Medical College Hospital
Khulna, Bangladesh
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Rajshahi Medical College Hospital
Rajshahi, Rajshahi Division, 6100, Bangladesh
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Rangpur Medical College Hospital
Rangpur City, Bangladesh
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Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College
Bogra, Silimpur, 5800, Bangladesh
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Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital
Sylhet, Bangladesh
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